Song: Loathe - Dimorphous Display [2022]

Nearing the end of 2021, I was knee deep in my discovery and newfound obsession of Loathe, an outstanding band in modern metal who had an unshakable lead in metalcore innovation with their modern take on shoegaze influences. So when 2022 came around and they dropped a single, I obviously fell in love with it.

Here's the funny thing though: I didn't. When I first heard it, it didn't click for me, and it didn't click for a long while. Maybe three or four months later, on a random re-listen, it suddenly sounded like the coolest thing ever, and ever since then it has been one of my top songs of 2022.

Dimorphous Display is both familiar and new to the established Loathe sound at the same time, which is weird to explain but it's true. There are elements we are used to, like the impressive ambient work, the blend of beautiful clean sections and brutal scream sections, the groovy riffage and the chaotic soundscapes. At the same time, there's moments in this song that feel new, sort of experimental, sort of evolutionary. The creepy sounds before the song starts, the overlapping echoes after the first chorus, the electronic synths going crazy in the outro, they feel like small steps in a new direction for the band's growing sound.

The song covers a lot of territory in five minutes, but if I had to summarise it, I'd say it is a hauntingly beautiful song. They know how to design their soundscape at a very intricate level, especially with how they layer everything and the effects they choose to use. I've always been a huge sucker for songs that have many many things going on at the same time (provided that it's well-made), and Loathe has been one of the best to do it in recent times. I'm unbelievably excited for what might come next from Loathe, and to see how they will evolve their sound after I Let It In And It Took Everything.

Rating: 4.5/5

Song: Sleep Token - The Summoning [Take Me Back To Eden, 2023]

I literally cannot be more excited for Sleep Token in 2023. They just claimed my "most listened artist of 2022" spot and they're already coming back for more. Dropping two songs in two days is ridiculous enough, but the absolute subversive masterpiece that is The Summoning has honestly caught me completely off guard.

A six-and-a-half minute song is already a good sign, and the song starting with some good old chunky riffing is an even better sign. Throughout the verse and chorus, the instrumentals take on a heavier sound than usual, and only continues to do so with that absolute brutality of a scream section. Vessel has definitely done harsh vocals before, but never like that, and not to mention doing it over a literal metalcore staple chug breakdown.

To continue the chain of subversion, they follow up the heaviest breakdown they've ever done with a guitar solo of all things. Of course, nothing they've never done before, but they've never put a guitar solo in with so much pizzazz and tastefulness, and definitely not for this long.

They go back to the chorus again, which I must point out, is one of their better choruses. Vessel throwing in some high notes is something I never thought about, but it is so blissfully beautiful to hear. Alongside some shoegaze-esque instrumentation and the subsequent distant screams, the whole soundscape becomes very ethereal and intense.

Doubling down on ethereal, they follow it up with a seriously long ambient section, long enough for you to start floating into musicalness. The synthwork is great, it's simultaneously elegant and calming. It also does a great job at transitioning out of the heaviest thing they ever written into the next section, which is the most unexpected yet unbelievably awesome thing I've ever heard.

I never thought about how Sleep Token would sound if they were funky and lowkey sexy, but the final one and a half minutes of The Summoning features an absolutely seductive variation of their verse. For an alternative metal band that's constantly pushing their sound and already so distinctive in the first place, this is just divine. Not only do they pull off so many unexpected musical choices in one song, they do it so well, like they've been doing it forever. The chunk is absolutely chunky, the funk is absolutely funky.

Sleep Token has a chokehold on me right now, and even though I found the first single great but not outstanding, they are both quality singles and have gotten me so unbelievably hyped for their third record that's coming out. I was late to the party on Sundowning and This Place Will Become Your Tomb, but I will be ready to catch Take Me Back To Eden when it drops. Worship.

Rating: 4.5/5

"Take Me Back To Eden" Album Cover

Song: Loathe - Is It Really You? + Sleep Token Rendition [I Let It In And It Took Everything, 2020]

 

Loathe has an impressive repertoire just in this one album, but the one that takes the cake has to be Is It Really You?. Born from an anonymous story of two lovers meeting in a dream, it's evolved into a surreal experience driven by Loathe's ambient electronic metal formula. The clean singing from Kadeem in this track is a stellar performance and one of his bests in the discography, especially with the gentle gracefulness in the verses and the powerful control in the choruses.

The guitars, drums and electronics need an extreme amount of credit for setting the mood so well, painting a soundscape to the likes of floating through the night sky or the midnight seaside serenity. The calm euphoria that this song manages to invoke is one of a kind, leaving you wanting to have someone to search the sky with.

Loathe is such a diverse band with a range of sound from the softest of ballads to the heaviest of bangers, and I'm glad they let Is It Really You? develop in full form without any need to try and infuse other elements into it. It's definitely one of my favourites from I Let It In And It Took Everything, like a centerpiece in an art collection, and sits comfortably in my heart's hall of fame.

Rating: 5/5

BONUS

The arrival of 2022 marked the start of Loathe's line of collaborative projects, and renditions of Is It Really You? were made with Teenage Wrist and Sleep Token. Admittedly, I didn't feel that the Teenage Wrist rendition was too unique, it was definitely a nice touch and felt different but it didn't seem worth commenting about. Sleep Token's rendition, on the other hand, is such a complete rework that it almost feels like an entirely new song.

Vessel's vocals are undoubtedly the main attraction in this revamp. Accompanied by just a simple piano melody, barebones with effects and electronics, they completely switch up the vibe and energy of the song. I admire how Vessel, with his angelic vocals, can seemingly change the meaning and sentiment of the song so easily just by singing it. Where Kadeem seems to tell a story about new lovers shrouded in mystery and euphoria, Vessel tells one of old flames reliving better times under the stars. (Well, personal interpretation anyways).

I'm just in love with the fact that two of my new favourite modern bands, both so outstanding for their unique style and quality, would come together for a collaboration, on Loathe's best track no less. It's two worlds colliding in the best way possible, with the best of both worlds lining up to make a masterpiece of a track. It feels like a dream seeing this happen, ironic for a song that feels like a dream in itself. Worship as one, as they say.

Rating: 5/5 (but you already knew that)